Pinterest - is it Pinteresting? Really?

I think I was still in Dubai when I have noticed that there is a new website that is making itself known - Pinterest. 

For the first time in my tech life, I was not excited with it... I guess for the reason that I do not know what exactly to do with it. I mean, they say it will be like your personal corkboard / visual board of the things that you see online.

photo grabbed from www.inboundio.com

I shrugged it off because I was still obsessed then with BBM and Twitter.

Now that I have time in my hands and when I did an online writing gig two months back, Pinterest is slowly creeping up again... luring me to give it a try.

Honestly, I want to but I think I have to clear out my online space first. Though it is not like the physical stuff that you can see and be irritated that you are not doing anything (yep, like the mess on your table, just as an example), my virtual space is really messed up.

I have 3 email address that caters to different stuff (yeah, Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo). I also use Pocket for my articles to read later, Zinio and Buqo to read my magazines for later, Kindle and Bluefire to read my books for later.... yes, that is how messy it is.

I was actually thinking of signing up and if it does not suit me, just forget about it later --- but I decided against it. I might just hold it up for a bit (is this me slowly turning into a non-techie person *gasp*???). Though I did a bit of research and Sheknows.com has actually provided a few insights on how some people have fallen in love with it and others got addicted to it (click here for the link on the article

Hopefully, I will organise myself virtually and make space to welcome an addition to my ever growing online apps / friends.

At WAR (kind of) with my laptop :S

Yes, I am having a hard time with my laptop right now.

I don't know if a lot of Apple users have been experiencing this but I am racking my brains out on what to do with the pinwheel.

Can you see the pinwheel?

Yes, the annoying pinwheel that has been making my online life a wee bit miserable. It is difficult to work on something when you see this object. Also, when you are trying to go fast because you are already late... the darn pinwheel just keeps taking it sweet time.

A friend of mine, an Apple fan, said that I should install Firefox because Safari kind of get's lola (like a granny) when you open up a lot of tabs. I looked at my Safari tabs and said, yep! that is what's happening to me.

photo grabbed from mozilla.org

So right now, I am using Firefox rather than Safari (I actually did not want to at first because I have been using Safari for sometime now and I do like it except this time, when Ms. Pinwheel keeps appearing). I have to say, the cameo appearance has been less frequent.

Apart from that, I also installed Ghostery. It is an extension or plug-in for Firefox that blocks windows that keeps popping up. You have the ability to block it or not which is cool for me because I now know which of these ads are making me suffer (boo!)

I guess, right now, my laptop and I are on a cease-fire. I hope it stays that way because I end up with a lot of backlog that I need to work on the laptop.

**Sorry for the rant but it is really annoying when you have your thoughts flowing and you have to wait for the pinwheel to disappear to write.... after all that waiting, I sometimes end up forgetting what I need to do in the end which is really a bummer!

Cookbooks and the Pocket App

I remember blogging about my ever-reliable Pocket app (I feel the same dependency with my Evernote app) here before.

I love that I am able to save recipes and articles found in the web or through Facebook. You see, the reason I have been collecting recipes is because I want to be a cook or a baker and start my own business.

There I said it.

If my online writing stint will fail me, my next career or business move is to be a baker. I know I am not artsy when it comes to cake decorations and all but I am hoping that I get to bring more of the quality to the product that I will be making.

image grabbed from http://www.acclaimclipart.com

With this, I collect recipes however it is not only the baking recipes that I have but also the "ulam" kind (main course). You know being married does that to you, I think. Everytime I whoop up a dish and R says he likes it, I am in Cloud 9. Of course I go one level up from the Cloud 9 feeling if he, out of the blue, asks me to do the dish again (I think he has only asked me to do that twice so it is beginning to be a challenge for me).

You see, R is also a cook and mind you, he does cook well (I am not being biased). Friends and family would rave of his Bulalo, his Sinigang na Salmon and his Binagoongan. Yes, I remember those dishes so well because I love them too. I am not sure if I sound like his marketer or campaign manager but they do love it.

I am waiting for my oven to arrive (courtesy of my good friends in Dubai - thanks guys!) and when it finally comes, I hope that all the recipes I have saved will be put to good use and that I will also be able to use the cookbooks that was given to me by my flatmates in Dubai.

I am getting excited!

What others are telling or asking us...

Are you trying out for another country? 

We are actually not. I may have blurted out a few times if we should go back to Dubai (especially when R gets his asthma attacks or when he is suffering from his allergies) however the decision to stay is really mutual.

So, what's the plan?

Actually, we don't know yet because we play it by ear. At the moment, we have contacted a few spaces that are for rent but it's either too step or it's already taken. I feel our progress is slow but I guess that is how it is especially since you are investing your hard-earned money. It is not something you can just say,"Nah I am pretty sure I can get that back".

So, what are you both doing?

I am trying to source some online stints while we search for our business. R on the other hand, busies himself by being my Mr. Handyman when I want things done in the house. That is another thing, I just realised that even if you stay in the house, you will definitely be busy... how? by arranging and re-arranging our stuff... or having to repair stuff in the house like plumbing, electrical, minor carpentry, etc. It is not the same in Dubai wherein you call the maintenance company of your building to make the necessary repairs.

I think I have covered the three basic questions we hear from time to time. I know our friends are not reading my blog but I am not sure if the questions came about because they are worried about us. At times, I am worried about us too. However, I choose to believe in my husband's fearless forecast of what business fits us... of course with prayers.

Why did I blogged about it? Because I also need a release from these questions. It, at times, causes me to panic but hopefully, the business opportunity will come very soon.

Goals and Planners

Apologies for my doodle, this is the best that I can do

Have you set your goals for the year? You still have time because technically, January is still not over. We have only reach the middle of the month so you still have plenty of time to lay them out.

For the past 2 to 3 years now, I have been writing up my goals for the coming year and at the same time, look over the goals that I have set for the past year. I have stopped writing resolutions since I started my goal-writing because I prefer to have a more positive outlook on what the year will be rather than sulking that I was not able to be true to my resolutions because I immediately failed (yes, at times, I fail on the second day! Yeah that bad!).

Looking back at my faith goals (yes, I have associated it with how our congregation calls it) for 2014, I have to say that most of my goals were achieved. Of course, there were still some that are not so I have carefully placed them in my faith goals for this 2015.

I feel like this year is centered to nurturing relationships between families and friends. In fact, I have made a goal to rekindle my relationship with friends and family members that I have lost touched over the years (being away from home does that to you though I have to say, it has also made me connect with some people who I never thought I will be connecting at all). I hope to be succesful in this goal.

***

Apart from that, I thought of getting myself a planner. Yes, an actual planner to make me write stuff - ideas and other things. I was already in National Bookstore the other day and was in a lookout for an affordable planner armed with the plan that I have in my head. However, R stopped me and challenged me when he asked if I am going to use it.

I had to stop and answer that question - am I really going to use it? My sister has been gifting me with the sought after planners only for it to gather dust in our pile of stuff. Now that we need to be more mindful about our money, I know R has a point.

To be honest, I am glued to my phone most of the time. I list out our groceries there, set reminders for stuff that I have been monitoring, chat with my family, check my emails and more. At times, I also write my thoughts in my Evernote app.

I guess R is right so I've put down the planner that I have been eyeing. I am thinking if I can create my own or like what R suggested, maybe I can use last year's planner and just update it with the right year and day (hahahah! Talk about being stingy!!)

***

What about you? Have you set any goals for this year?

Was I Busy?

Yes, I was and still is.

I feel bad that I have neglected my blog because I have been a bit busy online and offline. Well, to start off the festivities really was like a bug. People have been trooping to the mall to buy groceries for the upcoming noche buena and media noche. Apart from that, we had to brave the crazy, crazy traffic to do some errands.

In the end, I had to park my blogging skills a bit and enjoy the season.

Now, that it's over and almost everything is back to normal, I am hoping that I can also go back to blogging about stuff.

I still have a long list of things to do and errands to attend to but with R sleeping at this time, I am having a bit of "me" time and decided to just say HI to my readers, if there is any. This is also to let you know that the author of this blog is now back from her hiatus and will be giving you post after post of things that have been happening around her and in their life (well, not all hahahah!).

***

2015. A fresh year to start anew. I have listed out the things that I have been thankful for 2014 and what I expect to accomplish and take place for 2015. According to our pastor in church, Pastor Joshua Galaraga, this 2015, we should go forward and expect more because greater things are about to happen.

I claim that declaration because I know that new beginnings will happen this year.

***

Are you also ready to declare 2015 as your year?

***

Sorry for the bursts of thoughts, it is just that I am so excited writing my first blog post for the year that everything is beginning to be like a blabber. Don't worry, I know I will be able to explain more about this in the coming days.

***

Till my next blog post!

Is having a Postpaid plan the way to live these days?

This entry is like a continuation of what I have written in my blog post, I think a month ago (read it here ).

Another issue we have now is if one of us should maintain a postpaid service to be in contact most of the time. What we have been doing for the past few months is to re-charge our SIM with credits from the sari-sari store or buy a re-charge card for us to use... for half of the month.

photo grabbed from www.globe.com.ph

To be honest, since I am at home most of the time, I do not need the charge unless of course I had to go out or I need to call someone who is not on Viber, Whatsapp or Facebook. Highly unlikely but that happens most especially when family members (like my mom) who frequents malls and is not home most of the time. Her not being home means she does not have wifi access around hence the need to call her from time to time.

I use this app a lot to communicate with my mom and relatives abroad 

Another thing is when you need to call landline numbers and I always end up going to the reliable sari-sari store to ring someone who doesn't have a mobile phone or does not allow us to contact someone directly (like going through a customer hotline).

A note I had for myself when I had to call a service hotline

A friend suggested to get the lowest postpaid package possible but should also be beneficial to us. I have been thinking about it because as I have mentioned previously, landline numbers and/or postpaid accounts can get you a credit card.

Not that we need it or even want to but there are times when the only option to pay is via a Mastercard or Visa.

Also, when we were in Dubai, I had a postpaid line because of the data package it provides. However here in the Philippines, the data package is quite expensive (I do not want to talk about that issue right now because that deserves another blog post) so that was the reason I hesitated.

Now, I have re-think our position about that front and maybe it will benefit us.